Divine Tang Era

Chapter 154 The Immortal City of the Desolate Wasteland

Seeing the maid who came to summon him, Xu Dan's heart sank. "I'm doomed!"

He's been so busy lately that he'd completely forgotten about his storytelling. Looks like he'll have to find a way to appease his two older sisters, otherwise this won't be easy to get past; women are known for being petty.

Xu Dan followed the maid to Mingfeng Tower.

As soon as Ya Zhu saw him, she pointed at his head and scolded him playfully, "You ungrateful little thing! I've always treated you so well, and you just forget to come because I told you not to ask someone to call you?"

"How could that be, sister?"

Xu Dan quickly said, "I've been too busy lately. I just got back from outside, so I need to rest a bit before I come to see you, sister. Otherwise, I'd look disheveled and miserable, which would be quite embarrassing." After saying that, he took out the recently acquired gilded bronze Ruyi with black patterns from his storage bag.

"Sister, look, this is a gift I specially prepared for you. I bought it from a digger outside. You've really struck gold!"

Zhu didn't stand on ceremony with him. She reached out and took the Ruyi, holding it in her left hand at the bend of her elbow, displaying a unique and graceful demeanor.

Upon seeing it, Xu Dan flattered, "This is a perfect match for you, sister. If you think it's too plain, you can have some gemstones of different colors set in it, and a tassel hung from the end of the handle. It will be beautiful."

"Yes, it's good. I like it," Shanzhu nodded in approval.

"I'm glad you like it, sister." Xu Dan replied, then took out a short sword and handed it to Zhu Yuxian, who was leaning against the wall. "Sister, this is a gift I specially prepared for you. It's a very nice thing."

Zhu Yuxian stepped forward, took the short sword, and drew it. A cold light shone from it, revealing it to be a rare and precious sword.

"This sword must have cost a lot of money, right?" Zhu Yuxian asked.

"I bought it outside, it's much cheaper than what you get at the market," Xu Dan replied.

"Then I'll accept it," Zhu Yuxian said with a smile.

"Please accept them, please accept them all. These are gifts I specially prepared for my two older sisters. You can't refuse them," Xu Dan hurriedly said.

Zhu Yuxian and Shanzhu exchanged a glance and then accepted the gift.

Seeing that they had accepted the gifts, Xu Dan breathed a slight sigh of relief. With this incident, the two of them probably wouldn't remember that he had stood them up for so many days. Taking advantage of their attention still being on the gifts, he quickly said, "Sisters, didn't I say last time that I was going to tell a legendary story that would move heaven and earth? After organizing for this period of time, I've finally made progress. Would you two like to hear it?"

"Then listen to us, but don't try to fool us, or we'll spank you," Shanzhu said, feigning seriousness.

Zhu Yuxian, who was listening nearby, chuckled.

Xu Dan felt helpless; women were such a hassle.

However, he now showed remorse, having stood them up, and stopped dwelling on it. He began to talk about the book, "Today we're going to talk about a book called *The Primordial Era*. In the beginning of time, before heaven and earth were separated, there was only chaos, emptiness..."

It was pitch black and boundless, with no fixed location in any direction, its origin unknown. Then one day, this chaotic place suddenly exploded.

Xu Dan is telling the story of Pangu creating the world.

In fact, the legend of Pangu creating the world already existed at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which is during the Three Kingdoms period. A man named Xu Zheng recorded in his book "Sanwu Liji": "The world was chaotic like a chicken egg. Pangu was born in it. After 18,000 years, the world opened up. The clear Yang became the sky, and the turbid Yin became the earth. Pangu was in the middle. He changed nine times a day. He was a god in the sky and a sage on the earth."

The sky rises one zhang higher each day. The earth thickens one zhang each day. Pangu's sun rises one zhang each day.

Thus, eighteen thousand years have passed. The heavens are extremely high. The earth is extremely deep. Pangu is extremely long.

Therefore, the distance between heaven and earth is ninety thousand miles, after which came the Three Sovereigns. The first was Pangu. On his deathbed, he transformed. His breath became wind and clouds; his voice became thunder; his left eye became the sun; his right eye became the moon; his four limbs and five organs became the four cardinal directions and five sacred mountains; his blood became rivers; his veins became the earth's veins; his muscles became fields; his hair became stars; his skin became grass and trees; his teeth and bones became metals and stones; his essence became pearls and jade; his sweat became rain. The insects on his body, moved by the wind, transformed into the common people.

After that, the story underwent several revisions and refinements before becoming a complete narrative.

Xu Dan's novel, *The Primordial Era*, is a primordial fantasy story based on Pangu creating the world, slaying three thousand gods and demons to create three thousand great Daos, transforming himself into all things, rampaging through the world with ferocious beasts, and the coexistence of three races. This story had already been written to death before his transmigration, but in this era, no one had heard of it. Moreover, it's a legend that systematically integrates ancient Chinese mythology, making it naturally more appealing.

After all, these kinds of supernatural stories always attract a lot of attention, no matter the time.

The story of the primordial era is very long, continuing all the way to Journey to the West and even further; it simply cannot be told in a single day. Therefore, Xu Dan did not elaborate much, stopping at the point where Pangu died and all things were created.

"Where have I heard this story before?" Shanzhu frowned in thought.

"No need to think about it, it's recorded in the book," Xu Dan said.

"Which book?" Zhu Yuxian asked curiously.

"I can't remember exactly. But later on, there's Nuwa mending the sky, which is recorded in the Chongxu True Scripture, and the overseas immortal mountains, which will also be mentioned in the story. In short, this legend is a new story that combines ancient myths and legends. Otherwise, how could I be so powerful as to create so many legendary stories out of thin air? They are all borrowed and adapted from books or things that have already happened."

"That's really impressive. So many people study, but not many can create such a wonderful legend," Zhu Yuxian praised.

"Of course," Xu Dan said proudly, puffing out his chest.

"Hehe, so cute! Come here, let your big sister give you a hug." Ya Zhu said, and without waiting for Xu Dan's reply, she picked him up and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

"Stop hugging and cuddling all the time. Don't you know that men and women shouldn't touch each other? What kind of behavior is this?" Xu Dan protested seriously.

Ya Zhu and Zhu Yuxian burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Zhu pointed her finger at his forehead and said, "You little brat who hasn't even grown all his hair yet, you still talk about the proper way for men and women to touch each other? I'm going to kiss you anyway."

Xu Dan had no choice but to lean in and move his face closer, but he was secretly delighted. In his previous life, no girl had ever been so proactive, and he felt like he had hit the jackpot.

"The legendary story you told last time sold very well in the capital, and it also became a bestseller in other places, earning a lot of money. What do you plan to do with this money?" Ya Zhu asked.

"I have enough money on hand now. This silver is just sitting around and growing mold. I might as well ask someone to help me buy a house in the capital so that I'll have a place to stay when I go there in the future."

"That's not difficult, I'll take care of it for you."

"Thank you, sister."

Having nothing to do at noon, Xu Dan had lunch with Zhu and Zhu Yuxian at Mingfeng Tower. After chatting for a while, he was about to leave when Ya Zhu stopped him: "Take this token. The Immortal City of Heavenly Desolation will be opening soon. When it does, take this token to the ships outside the city, and they will take you there."

Xu Dan, who had already stood up, sat down again upon hearing this and asked, "Sister, what is the City of Eternal Youth?"

"The Immortal City of Heavenly Desolation is a magnificent ancient city within the ruins of the Toad Palace in the Kunlun Wonderland. However, due to its antiquity, all its treasures have been looted, leaving only ruins and broken bricks. Even so, some people still want to try their luck there. Therefore, every year on the fifteenth of August, the Northern Court Prefecture sends ships to various places to pick up people, but it's not free; each person has to pay spirit stones to be taken there. Once there, you have to pay another fee to enter the secret realm, but if you have a token, you don't need to pay."

"Thank you, sister." Xu Dan was overjoyed.

Shanzhu waved her hand and cautioned, "There's really nothing in there. I've been there several times and found nothing. Don't get your hopes up too high either. Just go for fun and see what it's like."

"Don't worry, sister. I understand the principle of 'If I gain it, I'm lucky; if I lose it, it's fate.'"

"Good that you understand. You are still young, so you must not be misled by these material things."

"Okay, sister, I'm off now."

"Slower."

Zhu and Zhu Yuxian watched him leave. After observing him for a moment, Zhu Yuxian said with certainty, "This little guy has indeed grown taller."

"It's normal for kids to grow fast, but he's definitely gotten chubby; he's quite heavy when you hold him."

Xu Dan, unaware of the two crickets chirping behind his back, happily walked home. He hadn't expected to gain so much from a trip to Mingfeng Tower; it seemed he should visit more often and call her "sister" more frequently. Wouldn't the benefits come naturally with each visit?